Felix Rosenqvist finishes second after vying for Macau win

Felix Rosenqvist brought his 2012 Formula 3 campaign to a strong close by finishing second in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in China.

Felix Rosenqvist

Photo by: Stella-Maria Thomas

Rosenqvist took the chequered flag just one and a half second behind race winner António Félix da Costa in Sunday’s 15-lap finale, as he became the first Swede to take to the podium at the event – which pitches 30 of the world’s most promising single-seater talents against each other – since Björn Wirdheim finished third in 2001.

The Mücke Motorsport man ended the race as the highest-placed driver from the ranks of engine supplier Mercedes, completing a weekend that saw him constantly feature at the top of the timesheets.

“A very good conclusion to the year for us,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “We have been as quick as anyone out there this weekend, and a podium at Macau makes the winter break a lot easier; even though I would have loved to win today.

António drove a great race, though, and I just couldn’t get close enough to him on the straights to overtake.

Still, I am obviously happy with the way the weekend went, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Mücke Motorsport and Mercedes for a great car – this wouldn’t have happened without them.”

Rosenqvist showed his intentions already in the opening free practice session on Thursday, going second fastest, and never falling outside the top five in any of the subsequent outings across the weekend.

Having topped the second practice session on Friday, Rosenqvist was then on course for a lap that would likely have put him on pole position for Saturday’s Qualification Race in the afternoon qualifying showdown, only for a last-gasp red flag to force him to abandon his effort.

Once the Qualification Race got underway, however, the 21-year-old quickly established himself in second place, a position he then maintained throughout the finale after having briefly led the event off the line.

“Macau is something truly unique, and I’m thrilled to have made the podium in the most classic F3 race of all,” Rosenqvist concludes.

“We’ve enjoyed a fantastic second half of the year with four wins in the European championship, and this means a lot to everyone who has worked so hard to get us to this level.

I am already looking forward to next year, and – regardless of what I end up doing – I am sure it will be something good."

Felix Rosenqvist adds the Macau Grand Prix podium to his previous victory at the 2011 RTL GP Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort, the Netherlands.